Vineyard East Worship

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From 1988 through 2003 I had a very busy music ministry and led worship both in the local churches all around the NYC area and also other parts of the country. It was a part-time ministry, in addition to my full time day job. I got paid everywhere to lead worship — except in my own church. That didn’t bother me.

Leading worship is an honor … a calling that his very high. The satisfaction I get from seeing the folks in my church, or any gathering, fully laying down crowns and worshipping God as my worship team leads, is the best pay ever! And the gratitude I feel as it happens — that God chose me, asked me, personally, to be a worship leader anywhere, is incredibly rewarding. I’m taken aback every time I do it.

I think anyone can aspire to get paid for your work as a WL, and make it a career or vocation, but there’s nothing nicer, to me, than giving it away. Sometimes I think that the fact that we gift worship to those we lead is a bigger drive to excel than just exchanging hours for dollars.

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If a musician is at a church that has the need and budget for a paid position in the music department they should take it only if they feel God’s direction in it. What else is there to say? There is no substantial logic in saying that because one gets paid for any given function it is no longer a calling, or legitimate service in the church.

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Paid positions in my congregational church when i was kid: Minister, Secretary, Sexton (Janitor) Choir Director and Organist…

My .02: I have yet to grasp why a modern church movement that values music so highly doesn’t have more paid leaders directing the music ministries.

BTW, why is it that pastor, for instance, IS who the pastor is, AND what he does. Is it because he gets paid?

Some available and legit modern career paths which started out manned by volunteers: Golfer, Baseball Player, Snowboarder, Surfer, Comedian.. etc. Why not add Worship Leader?

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I believe all of you have some fantastic insights and view points so here goes my humble opinion of it all.

I have been leading worship for over 25 plus years in which I have never been a paid “worship leader”. I have been compensated for other areas of ministry per say, (small stuff) but never a direct compensation for just worship leading. At the time of this writing, I am not compensated for any kind of ministry and haven’t been for well over a decade.

I am very excited when I hear a song being played on the radio but even more excited when I hear it when it has crossed over into main stream.

When you look at the percentage of musician’s that actually make it (church or main stream) it is a sobering reality! Not many make it!

I believe that Seth touched on something very crucial in his brilliant video presentation (Did you like that term, “brilliant, Seth?), that being; “Stewardship”.

When Jesus was on the verge of making it big (how many people did he heal?), he alway’s withdrew to a quiet place either with himself or with his disciples. Jesus wasn’t into making it big or to make money. He just went out and did what the Father was doing.

In this process he brought along 12 bumbling men who didn’t know their right hand from the left. Another words, he was reproducing himself for the long haul! I believe there are some real good worship leader’s out their and I am blessed to know many of them, but how many of us actually and pro-actively are always looking to reproduce who we are and are constantly working ourselves out of a position instead of positioning ourselves for a paycheck?

Stewardship is huge, because it shows us how seriously we actually take the great commission seriously. It also shows us where our heart is at! I applaude those who are compensated. However, I applaude more, those who are making a place for the next gifted leader & the next &………

I would love to be compensated for what I do because I love what I do! But as someone said in their post on this article; Worship leading isn’t who we are, it is what we do.

When all is said and done and we catch the golden chariot and come face to face with Jesus; this is where compensation will truly and fully be realized. I want to hear: “well done my good and faithful servant.” I want to hear that more than, well done my good and compensated worship leader! Luke 6:38

Jimmy G

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I agree with Kenny, though admittedly I don’t have the type of philisophical/sociological wordage in my vocab as he does =)

I just recently prayed with my worship team before practice last week and we touched on this topic.

I’ve had people pray many things over me in my life…encouraging words of how God will use my music to impact many lives, many of which seemed to have the whole ‘your gonna be like jeremy riddle or matt redman’ kindof tint to it. (Believe me, I’m in no way meaning to toot my own horn).

I have desired to make a living as a musician, as a worship leader, as a pastor…but all in all, I’m just happy doing what God has me doing right now. If those doors open up, great. If not, great.
The one thing I believe God spoke to me a long time ago was this ‘chris…leading worship is what you do…it is not who you are’.
To me, this meant my identity isn’t as a ‘worship leader’. My identity is as his child, as his love, as his creation…and out of that comes my response of worship.

I share this because i’ve seen a lot of people get caught up in worship music, the industry, who’s hot and who’s not, etc. and it scares me that they seem to lose focus/perspective and concentrate so much on ‘worship music’.

In any case, I definitely believe different worship leaders are used and anointed in different ways. Some can cut albums and have songs used in churches worldwide. Some can’t or won’t have an ‘industrial impact’, but really touch lives intimately in a local church setting. Neither one is greater then the other because God loves both the same.

I don’t know if i agree that ‘Leading worship can now be considered a career path instead of something done to serve the church’. I don’t believe it is a black and white issue. You can serve the church in such a ‘career path’…I think. However, I don’t quite know how I feel about the notion of paying someone simply to lead worship every week at church. Yes a lot can go into planning, developing and leading a team or multiple teams, overseeing worship in the church at large, but I guess I’m so used to serving that being paid for the work I do seems so foreign? I dunno…i need time to digest lol

Time for a pay raise randy!

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I think our region has demonstrated well that the vast majority will be those of us who don’t work for the church leading worship (I can actually only think of 4 worship leaders in our region who work full time for the church & all of those have other responsibilities).

I think this question of the worship industry comes up more in other parts of the country where Christanity is the cool thing… where larger churches are more common & people are generally open to Christian/Americanity. In those places it is feasible to live off what you could make playing music in church or churches. OR feasible that the churches are large enough to pay for a full fledged worship pastor (with multiple responsibilities).

For most of us, it’s just not feasible.. which is good & bad… good because it keeps us humble & makes the roots go down deep as a servant.. bad because we don’t have the time/energy to focus on worship, building, writing etc.

The question for me is how popularization &cultural familiarity of the “worship industry”or even worship-style music impacts how/if people outside can connect with God. For example for many of the non-religious types around here the “worship industry” is laughable, over simplistic & part of THE problem of commercialism in America. The only place they see it is on late night infomercials completely out of context. & musically it’s so been done.

So for us to reach those people, it means saying… “actually, no.. that’s not what we’re about”.. & having them experience it localized & in context of the community life of our church, raw.. that it’s not American Idol with an Evangelical tinge. That it is something completely “other than”.

I can remember being a kid & first experiencing worship… and not having any cultural map to even put it on. I had the context of the local church & the movement, which were obviously indispensable, but I think that was good for me to figure out what exactly this was & what “it” was doing to me. I still am.

I think the key for us is to keep raising people up at the local level. If some of them end up working for the church & even become a name in the industry, good for them… but I think that’s the exception, not the rule. & if it becomes more common as our churches grow, atleast the roots of local humble service are sown.

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You can listen to it here:
http://cdn2.libsyn.com/insideworship/01_Episode_32_-_Music_Industry_v._Contemporary_Worship_Part_1.mp3

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Click on the articles tab and on the left hand column you will see a link to Inside Worship Podcast

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How do I listen to the podcast? Where do I find it?